- AI-driven skills disruption accelerating
- Global reskilling gap widening
- Rapid adoption of AI in marketing
- Shift to AI-augmented creativity
- New competitive skill stack emerging
As artificial intelligence reshapes the global economy, a growing skills divide is emerging in the marketing and creative industries, and South African professionals may need to move quickly to keep pace.
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 warns that technological change is outpacing workforce adaptation. The report estimates that 44% of workers’ core skills will be disrupted within the next five years, largely driven by advances in AI, automation, and digital technologies.
At the same time, six in 10 workers will require training before 2030, yet only around half currently have access to adequate reskilling opportunities, highlighting a growing global skills gap.
For the marketing and creative sectors, where AI tools are rapidly becoming part of everyday workflows, the implications are particularly significant.
“The global marketing industry is entering a period of rapid capability expansion,” says Andre van der Merwe, general manager, EMEA operations, Brandtech+. “AI is dramatically increasing the scale and speed at which campaigns can be produced, which means creative professionals now need to combine traditional storytelling ability with technological fluency.”
The rise of AI-native creative work
The integration of AI into marketing is no longer theoretical. According to Salesforce research, more than 60% of marketers are already using generative AI in their workflows, with applications ranging from campaign development and customer engagement to content creation and analytics.
Meanwhile, a recent survey by IBM found that over 40% of enterprise-scale organisations are already actively deploying AI across business operations, with marketing and communications among the most common use cases.
As AI expands content generation capabilities, agencies are increasingly focusing on human skills that guide and shape those outputs.
“AI is removing many of the production constraints that traditionally existed in marketing,” Van der Merwe says. “That means the real value of creative professionals now lies in interpretation, strategic thinking, and creative direction.”
Skills that will define the next generation of creatives
He notes that some of the fastest-growing capabilities required across industries today extend well beyond traditional creative or technical skills.
“Increasingly, organisations are looking for professionals who combine AI and data literacy with strong creative and analytical thinking, supported by systems thinking that allows them to understand how complex workflows and technologies interact,” he adds.
“Just as important is a mindset of curiosity and continuous learning, as the pace of technological change means the most valuable professionals are those able to constantly adapt and evolve their skillsets.”
He says that these skills are becoming particularly important in the marketing industry, where campaigns increasingly combine data, technology and creativity.
“Creative professionals who understand how to work with AI tools, rather than simply using them, will have a significant advantage,” van der Merwe explains. “That requires building what we describe as a Gen-AI-first culture, where teams experiment, learn and integrate AI into everyday workflows.”
At Brandtech+, he notes this approach is already shaping how teams are trained and developed globally.
“Our focus is on building AI-native teams,” he says. “That means investing in training, encouraging experimentation and ensuring our people understand how to combine human creativity with technological capability.”
The talent race behind the technology
The growing demand for AI-literate talent is already reshaping hiring and training priorities across global marketing organisations.
Recent research suggests that more than 70% of companies now use AI into at least one business function, making AI capability an increasingly common requirement across creative, marketing, and operational roles.
“Building AI capability isn’t just about tools, it’s about culture,” says van der Merwe. “The organisations seeing the most growth are those creating Gen-AI-first environments where teams are encouraged to experiment, learn, and integrate AI into everyday workflows.”
He notes that for Brandtech+, investment in talent development has become a strategic priority. “More than 100 open roles are currently being filled across creative, marketing technology, and operational disciplines, many of which require professionals who can combine creative thinking with AI literacy and analytical capability.”
“Our focus is on building an AI-native workforce,” he explains. “This means training teams, evolving creative processes and ensuring our people have the confidence to work alongside AI rather than feel threatened by it.”
Global opportunity for South African talent
He adds that despite concerns about automation, AI could also expand opportunities for creative professionals working in global markets. “The shift toward distributed teams means agencies increasingly draw talent from across the world, including emerging creative hubs such as South Africa.”
However, he says maintaining that global relevance will depend on continuous skills development.
“The creative industries have always evolved with technology,” he concludes. “The difference now is the speed of change. The professionals who invest in developing AI-related capabilities today will be the ones leading the industry tomorrow.”
Competing in an AI-driven industry
Van der Merwe adds that as generative AI becomes embedded across marketing and creative production, the competitive landscape for agencies and creative professionals is entering a new phase. “Rather than replacing human creativity, AI is amplifying the importance of skills that machines cannot easily replicate.”
“The real story isn’t about AI replacing creative professionals,” he concludes. “It’s about how creatives evolve. Those who combine creativity with analytical thinking, technological literacy and strategic insight will be the ones shaping the future of the industry.”
Andre van der Merwe is general manager, EMEA operations, Brandtech+, the global creative production engine of The Brandtech Group, headquartered in New York with operations across five continents. Our 1000-person team powers creative and production solutions for some of the world’s biggest brands, leveraging cutting-edge AI, global collaboration models and diverse talent networks across more than 30 countries. For more information, visit: the Brandtech+ Website or LinkedIn and Instagram.
